Say Hello to the Katana and a Much More Streamlined Group
Suzuki recently released its new street lineup for 2020, and the company did a fair amount of trimming. Most notably for me, the company cut out the VanVan 200 and the TU250X. Now, I know those bikes aren’t amazing machines, but I liked them a lot for what they were—simple small-displacement motorcycles. However, Suzuki has added a new Katana and that is very good news. Before I dig into what the company’s full lineup is, let’s look at the models that it removed.
Say Goodbye to These Suzuki Motorcycles
First up, despite the fact that Suzuki went to the trouble of certifying the GSX-S1000/S1000F, these bikes do not appear in the lineup. Also, Suzuki dropped most of its cruiser line of motorcycles. The Boulevard C90, C90T, M90, M50, and S40 are all vacant from the list. Honestly, these bikes weren’t a big hit for me. Suzuki already had plenty of other bikes that are a lot like them, and a trimming of the cruiser lineup was needed.
The standard category is where my sadness comes. The fun-duro VanVan 200 and the retro-cool TU250X are gone. I can’t imagine Suzuki sold a ton of VanVans (despite it being a unique, interesting, and super awesome offering) but I’m surprised the company pitched the TU250X. I think it’s one of the best 250cc machines on sale, or at least it was.
Say Hello to the New Lineup
I’m going to dig through this by category so we can have all of the bikes out there for you to see. If you want more info on any specific bike, click the link at the top of the article and you’ll go to Suzuki’s full listing where you can check out any bike.
Sportbike
There are seven bikes in total for the sportbike category—six if you don’t count the GSX250R and GSX250R ABS as different motorcycles. The Hyabusa returns (thank the motorcycling Gods).
- Hyabusa
- GSX-R1000R
- GSX-R1000
- GSX-R750
- GSX-R600
- GSX250R
- GSX250R ABS
Cruiser/Touring
Suzuki has a simple three-bike lineup for the cruiser segment now.
- Boulevard M109R B.O.S.S.
- Boulevard C50
- Boulevard C50T
Standard
The standard segment of the lineup is arguably the most interesting, especially with the addition of the new Katana. Suzuki released pricing on the bike ($13,499).
- Katana
- GSX-S750Z ABS
- GSX-S750
- SV650X
- SV650 ABS
- SV650
Adventure
There are three bikes that take up the adventure portion of the lineup, with the V-Strom 650XT Adventure being the most interesting.
- V-Strom 650XT
- V-Strom 650XT Adventure
- V-Strom 650
Dualsport/Supermoto
Suzuki fills the dualsport segment with three bikes, too, and then tacks on a supermoto model for good measure.
- DR650S
- DR-Z400S
- DR200S
- DR-Z400SM
Overall, the lineup doesn’t look bad. It’s not as dynamic or interesting as a company like KTM or Triumph, but some folks will be very happy with it. If you want a TU250X, VanVan, or any of the Suzuki cruiser line, you should be able to pick one up dirt cheap on the used market.